William Bingham (1754-1826) from County Down, Ireland, began a school in Pittsboro, NC, in 1795. He was professor of ancient languages from 1801 to 1805, then reopened his classical preparatory school, moving it to Hillsborough, NC, in 1808 and to Mount Repose in 1818. He married Annie Jean Slingsby. Two sons survived him, William James and John Archibald (Dictionary of North Carolina Biography 1:159-60).